Nissan Opens Huge Lithium-Ion Battery Plant in the U.S. Before 2013 Leaf Launch

Nissan is opening what’s said to be the largest lithium-ion automotive battery plant in the U.S. With U.S.-made batteries and upgrades coming to the 2013 Nissan Leaf, the car may still have a chance at making a real impact on buyers who otherwise might have just purchased a Toyota Prius or Chevrolet Volt.

Nissan lithium ion US battery plant 2 300×187 imageThe plant is located near Nissan’s vehicle assembly plant in Tennessee, and can produce up to 200,000 batteries annually depending on demand. So far, 46,000 Nissan Leafs have been sold worldwide. In addition to protecting against the high cost of manufacturing the batteries in Japan and shipping to the U.S., the new plant is also likely to supply batteries for the upcoming Infiniti that’s based on the Nissan Leaf.

Nissan says the new lithium-ion battery plant has created about 300 jobs. When the plant is built to full capacity, it will represent an investment of up to $1.7 billion, with help from a $1.4 billion U.S. Department of Energy loan.

The 2012 Nissan Leaf has an EPA-rated range of 73 miles, with 106/92 mpgE city/highway. We’ve heard the 2013 Leaf may see a range boost of up to 25 percent, and have already previewed the refreshed Japan-spec 2013 Nissan Leaf. That car has a new base model with a lower price (but the same range as other models) and goes without LED headlights. On the Japanese-market 2013 Leaf, cargo capacity has been improved a bit and Nissan’s Around View Monitor camera system is available, as is a black interior. The U.S.-spec 2013 Nissan Leaf goes on sale early in 2013, so it won’t be long before we get official details. Until that happens, the U.S. battery plant has started producing batteries that are ready to be placed in new Leaf cars; the Japan-spec 2013 Nissan Leaf is shown below.